In the Wake of the News

Cut Matt Forte some slack

Rushing totals should rise for Chicago Bears running back

If questions were tacklers, Matt Forte would have stiff-armed me just under the chin.

"Why would I doubt myself?" Forte shot back before my question was finished. "No, I would never doubt myself in anything that I do."

Asked and answered.

That's the reaction you want from an accomplished NFL player after two uncharacteristically bad games. Defiance can serve a running back as well as 4.4 speed.

But it beat asking Forte about what's on the minds of the most cynical Bears observers this week: What if everybody was wrong about the running back? What if he really is closer to being the next James Allen than the next Neal Anderson?

Sorry, it is too early to give that merit, even though Forte's 2.2 yards per carry this season falls well below the Enis Line. A better question might be whether everybody was wrong about the Bears' new offensive tackles and guards whose, um, forte isn't exactly run-blocking.

I can see obsessing over the expensive-but-so-far-exposed left side of the offensive line, guard Frank Omiyale and tackle Orlando Pace. But I am more concerned about finding strong coffee and fresh fish Sunday in Seattle than seeing if Forte still has the goods against a poor Seahawks run defense.

Forte has been discussed lately as if he had an expiration date stamped under his No. 22 jersey.

I understand 35 NFL running backs have more yards than Forte's 84, leading some to wonder if a preseason hamstring injury has lingered. I realize that, as a team, statistically only the Texans have gotten off the bus running in place more. I also know that Forte's running lanes have been clogged like the Edens at 5 p.m. on a Friday.

The sooner the Bears' three new offensive linemen adapt, the better Forte will run and resemble the rookie who gained 1,284 yards. And if Forte doesn't do all that and the Bears' running game falls short of expectations, the football sky will not fall in Chicago.

Not as long as Jay Cutler plays quarterback.

Forte didn't any get slower or weaker. He still can have a 1,000-yard season. The Bears still need him -- just not as desperately as they did a year ago.

Cutler's downfield threat hasn't benefited Forte -- yet. But that has been due more to the offensive line and game situations that have dictated more pass plays than runs (61 percent pass to 39 run).

If you want to flap unflappable offensive coordinator Ron Turner, just ask him after a victory about a balanced game plan. He would rather reminisce about the day Illinois fired him. Just once, Turner should answer by pointing to Cutler's locker and not saying a word.

Unless you're standing on a ladder, balance is overrated, at least in today's NFL.

The Colts ran just 35 plays in beating the Dolphins last Monday night. Peyton Manning dropped back to pass on 24 of those -- 69 percent of the time. Manning finished with 303 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Imbalanced, yes. Unconventional, sure. Unstoppable too.

Cutler can strike just as quickly and efficiently for the Bears and make their pass-run ratio just as skewed. Win and nobody needs a calculator.

One former NFC general manager wondered why the Bears would bother stressing their running game given Cutler's ability to improvise and make plays. Teams that have quarterbacks like Cutler, Manning, et al, need not worry about run-pass ratios.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl last year with the 23rd-ranked rushing team. They beat the NFC champion Cardinals, statistically the worst rushing team in the NFL.

Cutler directed the AFC's No. 1 offense in 2008, throwing 62 percent of the time for the Broncos. Denver's leading rusher? Peyton Hillis, 343 yards.

The Broncos and Cutler didn't miss the playoffs in '08 because of a lack of offensive balance as much as a lack of defensive bite. He doesn't have the same problem in Chicago. The Bears' defense has played as if it realizes Cutler has won 13 of 14 career games when the opponent has been limited to fewer than 21 points.

"It makes it a lot easier when 17 points can win a ballgame," Cutler said. "It's a different mindset."